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Month: June 2014

Pretty random list, I know, but for the sake of your enjoyment I will go over each of these games in detail in no particular order.

Spider-Man 2 – I remember back in the day, 14 years ago, when the original Sam Rami Spidey movie came out I rented the game that coincided with it. It was a dastardly linear affair that wasn’t much fun. That all changed with the sequel. The open world environment of New York City was able to be viewed through the fast-paced web slinging of Spider-Man. I sunk hours into that game.

Superman: Shadows of Apokolips: Superman games have a god damn terrible reputation. Though, Shadows of Apokolips was… okay… It took place in the same universe as the amazing animated series’, utilizing the art style and voice actors. Though it suffered from stiff controls and was extremely repetitive, it was still the best Superman game out there. Quite frankly, it still is. I’m still waiting on the sequel they promised…

Burnout 3 & Revenge: Now, I’ve never been a big racing fan. But those two Burnout games are fun as hell. The racing is extremely amped up with glorious crashes and explosions.

Resident Evil 3: Nemesis: The only PS1 game I have on this list and it’s by far the scariest game. I have vivid memories from my childhood where I’m playing this game than BAM that big hulking monster Nemesis breaks through a door and chases me. I lost many nights of sleep during that time.

The Suffering: Ties That Bind: The original Suffering game is a personal favorite of mine. It was a scary, immersive and a fun horror game that my friends and I talked about all the time in High School. The sequel, Ties That Bind, picks up right where the first one ended but the game itself was pale in comparison to the first. It was good, just not as good.

Rayman 3 & Raving Rabbids: I always found the Rayman games to be kind of underrated. Rayman 2, the pinnacle of the series, is a timeless platformer classic. Rayman 3 didn’t reach the heights of its predecessor but it’s still a great game nonetheless. I spent years waiting for a Rayman 4 and the next game to come out was this Raving Rabbids crap. I bought it out of sheer excitement that there was finally a new Rayman game out but it was not the type of game I wanted.

Indigo Prophecy: Indigo Prophecy will go down as one of my top five favorite games of all time. This game is a masterpiece. I don’t think I’ve ever been as immersed into a story as I was with Indigo. You really feel for Lucas has he battles his world crashing around him, questioning what’s real and what’s not. I highly recommend everybody to play this game.

Like this:

This was the first E3 (in a long time) that I actually sat down and watched extensively. Even the Nintendo one. In fact, I was so into it I ignored my girlfriend while the Sony one was on – much to her dismay.

MICROSOFT

This was a complete turn around from last years Press Conference. I’ll sum it up for you in one short word – TV.

A year ago Microsoft seemed to have lost its way, solely focusing on the added features the new Xbox has instead of its gaming power. Well, after a year of bad press, changes in hardware, and a price drop, Microsoft came out swinging in their conference. Phil Spencer, the new head of the Xbox division came on stage and immediately stated the entire show will be devoted to games. A roaring cheer followed.

First up was Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Now, unless you’ve been living in space for the last 10 years you’ve definitely heard of Call of Duty. COD 4, which debuted in 2007, shot the franchise to super stardom. After yearly releases, multiple development studios, and stiff competition, COD still remains on top of the First Person Shoot genre. Its newest entry, Advanced Warfare, makes the debut of a new studio’s helm on the franchise, Sledgehammer games. They claim they’re really changing things up so people don’t get tired of the franchise (though that’s settled in years ago) and from what was shown it seems to be at a half way point.

Yes, there’s still big scripted – big explosive scenes going on but with the addition of the new Exosuit (a robotic exoskeleton that the soldiers wear for added power) new tricks are being added that are totally new to the series. Regardless, it’s Call of Duty so it’ll sell like grandmas hot cakes.

Another big game that was shown was Halo 5: Guardians.

Like Call of Duty, Halo is an extremely popular shooter with a massive fan base. Bungie games made the first 3 Halo games, which solidified the Xbox as a definitive home console. Since their departure, 343 industries made Halo 4 and now the upcoming fifth game. Judging by the fan reaction I’m sure this game will sell in the millions extremely quickly. Now, story details seemed scarce in this trailer but Master Chief is blowing stuff up with ease so it’s great eye candy. Not to mention, Keith David’s sexy voice narrates it.

Another standout game was Sunset Overdrive:

Nothing screams entertainment more than a game that doesn’t take itself seriously and has fun while doing so. Sunset Overdrive looks to be that game, with its bright colors and intense action, this is a game that made its way onto everyones radar.

The rest was a hodgepodge of just game after game after game. I’m sure Xbox fans are looking forward to all of this.

SONY

Sony also came out swinging, with Destiny as their first game.

Developed by the former Halo makers, Bungie, Destiny aims to be this generations BIG shooter. It aims to blow Call of Duty and other games like that out of the water. Shortly after this awesome gameplay video, it was announced that the multiplayer beta would only come to PS4.

Seems that Bungie is making up loss time for all those years they had exclusivity to Microsoft.

So, much to everyone’s surprised, Dead Island 2 was announced.

This trailer makes the game look really upbeat, fun, and gorgeous. I mean, JUST LOOK AT THOSE GRAPHICS. Yes, those aren’t real actors. However, if you look at the first Dead Island trailer, and even the spin off one, Riptide, you’ll notice a complete change in tone. This my be either very good or bad for the Dead Island sequel.

And finally, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Metal Gear Solid has always been a personal favorite. The fifth entry looks to excel on the franchises already established quality.

The icing on the was definitely the announcement of a remastered version of Grand Theft Auto V for the PS4 and the footage of the already known Last of Us for PS4. Two games I’m sure people will buy a second time.

Uncharted is back with their final entry. It looks beautiful.

NINTENDO

Nintendo didn’t have a real press conference. Just like last year, they had a “digital event”, which is like a press conference except all on the internet. They did, however, open with the single greatest opening in internet history. If you don’t believe me, watch up to 3:30.

There are some notable highlights there. One being the inclusion of Mii’s as fighters in the new Super Smash Bros. This opens the doors to people who were reluctant to play the originals, or maybe didn’t go around to it. It’s also good for people who just love themselves.

Even though Nintendo said there’d be no new Mario games. They announce Mario Maker. Not only is it a new Mario game, it’s a Mario game where you can make as many Mario games as you like. It’s Mario-ception.

The last game they showed as Splatoon. Splatoon is a co-op team shooter where two opposing squads face off in a battle of ink and colors. Whichever team colors the map with more of their ink color they are declared the winner. This is a great change of pace from the bland, colorless shooters that are on the market now.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The 2014 E3 was one based on nostalgia and multiplayer. Meaning, almost all of the games that were shown where said to have competitive or co-op multiplayer involved in the game. Some forced and some optional. There are some gamers out there who like their single player only adventures. There’s a great atmosphere games provide when it’s just you, and people are really hard to rely on.

On the nostalgia factor, Xbox announced a new Halo collection of all four games, in preparation for the 5th. In it includes remastered Halo 2 online maps and the originals from 10 years ago. Not only that, an old but very popular game, Grim Fandango, is being remastered for the Playstation 4.

Other than that, it was a pretty standard affair. Although, where is The Last Guardian? People really thought this was the year it would FINALLY be re-announced after six years. Sadly, it wasn’t and neither was Fallout 4.

SIDE NOTES

So I just became a social media assistant for this upcoming film titled “Believe me” it’d be a major help if you clicked this link!